The present disclosure relates to dietary supplements and a method for administration, and more particularly, to beadlets having specific ratios of carotenoids which release in the gastrointestinal tract in a sequential, timed release manner.
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants. Different types of carotenoids are known individually to promote skin health, eye health and prostate health, and to prevent free radical damage, among other things. For example, epidemiological studies over the last 30 years consistently demonstrate an inverse relationship between carotenoid-rich fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of chronic disease, such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. Mayne S T. Beta-Carotene, carotenoids and disease prevention in humans. FASEB J. 10:690-701 (1996).
Human dietary intakes of fruits and vegetables, however, have been repeatedly found to be inadequate for optimal health. Report of a Joint WHO/FAQ Expert Consultation; Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Disease. WHO Technical Report Series, 916. Geneva, January 28-February 1 (2002); Blanck H M, et al. Trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among U.S. men and women, 1994-2005. Prev Chronic Dis. 5:2 (2008).
Therefore, there are a variety of supplements on the market that provide doses of carotenoids. These supplements suffer some issues. For example, supraphysiological doses of individual carotenoids have shown unexpected and worrisome results in the past, as in the case of β-carotene. Further, the effectiveness of a mixed carotenoid supplement is dictated by the fraction of the ingested amount that is actually absorbed and reaches its target site, also known as its “bioavailability.” Much evidence suggests that, when administered together, individual carotenoids compete with one another for bioavailability, specifically for micelle formation and bile salts, which assist in uptake, and consequent intestinal absorption, thus limiting the efficacy of current multicarotenoids supplementation. van het Hof K H, et al. Dietary factors that affect the bioavailability of carotenoids. J Nutr. 130:503-06 (2000); Maiani G, et al. Carotenoids: Actual knowledge of food sources, intakes, stability and bioavailability and their protective role in humans. Mol Nutr Food Res. 53:S194-S218 (2009). For example, because β-carotene aggressively consumes bile salts, it is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract more quickly, and reduces the absorption of other carotenes, such as lutein. Other carotenoids suffer similar competition issues, which impairs the effectiveness of conventional combination or mixed carotenoid supplementation.